Practice Test Geeks(AME) Aviation Medical Examiner Certification Practice Test
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Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

7 cards from real AME practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice flashcards as text

  1. In aviation medicine research, which study design provides the strongest evidence for causality?

    Answer: Randomized controlled trial

    Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence for causal relationships because randomization controls for confounding variables.

  2. An AME reviewing a study on hypoxia effects finds a p-value of 0.03. What does this indicate?

    Answer: There is a 3% probability the result occurred by chance under the null hypothesis

    A p-value of 0.03 means there is a 3% probability of obtaining results as extreme as observed if the null hypothesis were true.

  3. Which type of bias occurs when pilots with known cardiac conditions are more likely to be recalled and enrolled in a cardiovascular study?

    Answer: Selection bias

    Selection bias occurs when the study sample is not representative of the target population due to systematic differences in who is included.

  4. A systematic review of aviation fatigue studies pools data from 12 individual studies. What statistical method is used to combine these results?

    Answer: Meta-analysis

    Meta-analysis is the statistical technique used in systematic reviews to quantitatively combine results from multiple independent studies.

  5. When evaluating aeromedical standards, which evidence source ranks highest in the hierarchy of evidence?

    Answer: Systematic review of RCTs

    Systematic reviews (and meta-analyses) of randomized controlled trials sit at the top of the evidence hierarchy.

  6. An AME reads that a medication increases crash risk with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.5 (95% CI: 1.1–5.7). What can be correctly concluded?

    Answer: The association is statistically significant at the 0.05 level

    Since the 95% confidence interval (1.1–5.7) does not include 1.0, the result is statistically significant at the α=0.05 level.

  7. Which of the following best describes the concept of 'number needed to treat' (NNT) in aviation medicine research?

    Answer: The number of patients who must receive treatment for one additional patient to benefit

    NNT is the reciprocal of absolute risk reduction and represents how many patients must be treated to prevent one adverse outcome.